Garages

It is crazy to think how much the garage has evolved. Looking at images from the 1920's the garages looked more like what we would consider a shed today. They looked like a little shack with two doors in the front, nothing like the two car garages we see today with electric garage door openers. 

I mean even when the garage was becoming more widely used we still saw many post war houses built with carports instead of garages. Drive around Kenmore/Tonawanda and you will see plenty of these. Here is a house in Kenmore built in 1957 with the added carport.

I think garages have changed drastically, as stated by Jackson. Garages are still used to store cars, but also they are used for tool storage, motorcycle storage, or for various other things. My parents have a two car garage and never park in it. They use it mostly for storage year round. My grandparents however did park their cars in their two car garage in the winter, however in the summer the screen doors came up and it was used as a place to relax. My grandpa always had two recliners and a tv in the garage in the summer, and used the other side to park one of his cars. When there was a family gathering though, the car would move into the driveway and tables and chairs would be placed on the other side so we can all eat and laugh together. The picture below is not of my Grandparents house, but it is a good example of what I just explained. It essentially makes the garage into another liveable room for the house. 

The garage, at its core may be meant for car storage, but it is essentially as Jackson states. When he talks about internal changes, he is talking about the changes that the occupants themselves have inspired, not those of the housing industry. It is important to remember that the houses were built by homebuilders with an idea in mind of how it should be used, but it is the occupants of the house who actully determine how it is used, and this includes the garage.

Little Boxes

Walking around the neighborhood off Millersport I noticed many different types of houses. However I also noticed many houses that looked very similar. In my opinion there is not a yes or no answer to this question. In many ways these houses look very different, while at the same time there are many that are very similar and represent "Little Boxes". I took a walk on some streets off Hendricks Boulevard, including Rosedale Boulevard and Olney Drive. 

Rosedale was interesting in many ways. There was a stretch of ranches that all looked similar, and then all of a sudden there was this very large brick house, and then more ranches that looked similar. Nothing on the street looked anything like this house brick house. 

On the opposite side of the street there are more houses that look similar to each other, but they look different from the ranches from the other side. 

There was also a great example of remuddling, at least it appears that way to me. 

The one on the left seems to have turned the part connecting to the garage into a sun room or Florida room while also adding a cupola. Im not sure if the roofs were always different either, but one is clearly different at the present time also. 

When I traveled down Olney, there was quite a different feel to the street. Everything seemed different besides a 4 house stretch. There was even a random Dutch style house on the street! 

All four of these houses are identical, 4 square roof, with an indent where the front door is.

I also found this gem on the street, it reminded me of a door you would see in a Christmas movie or something. Double sloping roof for the door entrance. 

Finally at the end of the street I found another group of houses that looked similar. 

I think there are some cookie cutter houses, or "Little Boxes" in this neighborhood, however there are some very unique houses as well. The ones that do look similar only seem to vary in color, which the song points out.